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So i know that you are not supposed to compare Digitals to Acoustics and consider them as separate instruments etc.

And there are some that will argue that Digital's will never ever come close to the look and feel and sound of a real musical instrument like an acoustic piano...But I'm going to ask the question anyways...

Provided that you're using a very good sound system or a decent sound system such as KRK studio monitors with Sub etc

coupled with vintage galaxy D software,

I was just curious as to how this set up compares to a real piano

Maybe even an Acoustic Steinway?

I was quite taken aback By the quality of the Vintage Galaxy D samples. Especially by the Adjustable decay. The increased decay time is what made it very realistic. But Again I'm limited in the number of times i've played a Real acoustic piano(cheap uprights don't count)

But unfortunately I don't have access to a grand piano where I live..

Basically what I'm trying to figure out is if there is a big difference between a higher end digital piano set up using state-of-the-art software samples such as vintage galaxy D/ Studio Speakers + sub of good quality,,, and a real quality acoustic piano

Live is best....period. You could get far higher quality samples (which haven't been created yet), far higher quality sound system, on the best available keyboard. You could spend tens of thousands on this. You could have an impressive system. Still....it won't stand up to a real piano right in front of you.

Sampled pianos can sound as good as professionally recorded masters of pianists playing top-shelf pianos, but they will never sound exactly the same as being in the presence of the aforementioned pianos.

Ultimately, mics are a limitation but long before that speakers are the limiting factor. KRK's don't begin to compare with a big resonating soundboard. I haven't been in the presence of speakers that can so I am not sure they actually exist.

But anyway, listening to great well-recorded cd's on excellent speakers is a joy in itself and sampled pianos easily compare with that. The limitation for most of us is our playing.

Sampled pianos can sound as good as professionally recorded masters of pianists playing top-shelf pianos, but they will never sound exactly the same as being in the presence of the aforementioned pianos.

... KRK's don't begin to compare with a big resonating soundboard. I haven't been in the presence of speakers that can so I am not sure they actually exist. .

Are these big enough resonating sound boards? These are the speakers that made Klipsch famous.

Are there any online piano shops that sell pianos via credit card like rickjonespianos.com?

Ones that maybe carry cheaper brands such as pearl river and hailun. Otto meister etc?

Why would you even want to do this? Each and every piano, of the same make, is different and needs to be played and heard first. To some extent we hear that said about DP's on this forum, usually the action, even though the difference may be marginal.

"Provided that you're using a very good sound system or a decent sound system such as KRK studio monitors with Sub etc coupled with vintage galaxy D software, I was just curious as to how this set up compares to a real pianoMaybe even an Acoustic Steinway?"

This question, and it`s answer costs a lot o` people a lot o` money! A better question would be "What is the difference between a decent DP or software piano to a decent acoustic grand when it comes to recording?"

I would say imo "Time and money saved" which could be used to good purpose. The sound is similar.

Many sampled libraries sound good, but playability is different story. I just feel "disconnected" if that makes sense and it has nothing to do with latency. Pianoteq is much better for practice imho. I use Vintage D only for recording in DAW.

Are there any online piano shops that sell pianos via credit card like rickjonespianos.com?

Ones that maybe carry cheaper brands such as pearl river and hailun. Otto meister etc?

Why would you even want to do this? Each and every piano, of the same make, is different and needs to be played and heard first. To some extent we hear that said about DP's on this forum, usually the action, even though the difference may be marginal.

Because there are no piano dealers where I live and I don't see the opportunity for me traveling anytime soon in the coming years.

We tend to get used and very old small uprights. Either spinets or consoles.

If I want to get something like a 52 inch upright such as the yamaha u3 I would have to special order it.

Even a 48 inch upright Is hard to come by. The only one I can find is a Xinghai from Beijing.

And grands are practically non existent unless you find a private owner or a hotel who more than likely special ordered it many years ago.

My p105 will be arriving soon. That should be enough to continue practice on.

However judging from what was said in this post, and many other posts, I would like to eventually purchase an Acoustic. It seems there isn't a proper replacement for the sound of an acoustic piano.

I was pleased with the xinghai I played (48" upright)

But considering there was only one( and is most likely the only one in the country) I doubt it would still be available by the time I can afford it. Other than that piano the only other piano that is readily available is the yamaha Ju109 also known as the yamaha B1 in the US

Who knows maybe there will be a better one by then. There was talk of another "dealer" importing pearl river models.

Many sampled libraries sound good, but playability is different story. I just feel "disconnected" if that makes sense and it has nothing to do with latency. Pianoteq is much better for practice imho. I use Vintage D only for recording in DAW.

Maybe you had to tinker with the velocity curves to get the desired connection with your setup?

I don't know what to call them on type of speaker. They are a very old design. Extremely good design. You can't buy a better, more accurate speaker. They are called: Klipschorns. You don't want to check the price. It will make you sick. They're only custom built anymore.

That is a picture I borrowed from the internet. Am sure the owner won't mind. If the music has a horn sound to it. That's how it sounds with these. The problem is elsewhere.